Passengers trapped in the wreckage of the two trains that collided near Bad Aibling received on-site assistance from the German Red Cross workers. They also offered psycho-social support to the families of the victims. /Josef Reisner

Passengers trapped in the wreckage of the two trains that collided near Bad Aibling received on-site assistance from the German Red Cross workers. They also offered psycho-social support to the families of the victims. /Josef Reisner

German Red Cross rescue teams were at the site shortly after two trains collided head-on near the small town of Bad Aibling in Germany, killing ten people and injuring around 150 others. The tragic accident occurred on the single-track route between Rosenheim and Holzkirchen in the early hours of Tuesday 9 February.

Some 180 Red Cross staff and volunteers worked all day alongside firefighters, other emergency service workers and police officers, to provide immediate assistance to those still trapped in the wreckage. One of the main challenges was access to the crash site, which is located in a hilly and densely forested area. The German Red Cross is also providing psychosocial support to the relatives of the people affected, and has made a public call for blood donations.

As part of the cross-border Red Cross cooperation agreement, the Austrian Red Cross deployed rescue teams to support its sister National Society in their operation.